# 13 DIY At-Home Spa Tricks



## daer0n (Nov 29, 2008)

*Stop and smell the rose (water)*

â€œTo save some money, make your own rose-water toner, which has great astringent properties. Hereâ€™s my recipe: For every one firmly packed cup of rose petals, pour two cups of boiling water over the top. Cover and steep until the liquid is cool. Strain, squeeze out the liquid from the petals and refrigerate the rose water in a sterilized jar between use.â€ *Lianne Farbes, TheMakeUpGirl*

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*Befriend your blender*

â€œWhen itâ€™s really cold outside and my skin gets a bit chafed, I go home and head straight for the kitchen and dust off my blender. I make myself a hydrating facial mask by blending a little cold cream, yogurt, honey, aloe vera gel and avocado. Using a foundation brush to paint it on my face, I let the mask dry for about 15 to 20 minutes and rinse. Voila! My skin feels refresh and moisturized again.â€ *India-Jewel Jackson, GlamBlush*

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*Heat things up*

â€œBefore jumping into the shower, stash your daily body lotion on top of a radiator or heating vent so itâ€™s warmed up when you rub it on. I tell you, there is nothing better than getting out of a hot shower and rubbing on the heated, soothing lotion. Just be aware that your lotion will get much more liquidy when itâ€™s warm, so it might rush out of its container faster.â€ *Petra Guglielmetti, The Girls in the Beauty Department*

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*Deep-condition hair with coconut oil *

â€œWomen with especially curly and kinky hair, as well as relaxed hair (itâ€™s great for protecting new growth), will love coconut oil as a hair conditioner and moisturizer. You can leave it in overnight or condition with a heat cap if you are pressed for time. Coconut oil also provides shine, and some studies even claim that it helps penetrate the hair to make it stronger.â€ *Nichelle Gainer, 55 Secret Street and A Novelista*





*Exfoliate with a sugary scrub*

â€œI have been making my own at-home body scrub since I was a little girl. My grandmother started me when I was only seven years old! Hereâ€™s what you need: 
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup raw oatmeal
1 cup olive oil
Mix all the ingredients together and then apply on dry skin, using your hands. You want to perform slow circlesâ€”this treatment is to be enjoyed and not rushed. (The real key is standing over a plastic bag or towel to catch the remains.) After scrubbing gently all over, step into the shower and rinse off. Your skin will be like butter.â€ *Julia Coney, All About the Pretty*

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*Even out skin with a fruity solution*

â€œTake a freshly cut lemon and rub gently on rough elbows and knees. The acid in the lemon will soften rough spots on skin and also lighten any dark areas.â€* Lianne Farbes, TheMakeUpGirl *

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*Turn your shower into a sauna*

â€œJust turn your shower on and run it at its hottest temperature for about 20 minutes. While the water is running and the steam is building, take a warm washcloth and spray with your favorite relaxing oil. (Lavender, vanilla or rosemary are all great de-stressing aromas.) When you step into your shower, put the washcloth up to your face and take a deep breath of your soothing, oil-scented steam. Itâ€™s a great way to unwind right before bedâ€”and it also helps clear up sinuses.â€ *Aly Walanksy, eBeauty Daily*

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*De-stress even more by doing it in the dark*

â€œStartâ€”or endâ€”the day in a wonderful, slow, quiet, calming, flickering way with a candlelit shower. Make sure the bathroom is dark (close the curtains, if you have them) and light a sweet-smelling candle. I promise, you will love it.â€ *Joanna Goddard, Smitten*

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*Soften hands (while watching TV!)*

Combine a few spoonfuls of cold cream, two drops of tea tree oil, five drops of lavender oil, a spoonful of olive oil and a banana (for a fruity smell) in a blender. When the consistency is smooth, slather liberally all over hands and cuticles. Then slip hands into a pair of yellow rubber glovesâ€”yes, the kind you use to scrub the tub with. For the softest hands ever, I like to sit down and watch TV with my lotioned and gloved hands underneath a heating pad so that the heat will help my homemade salve penetrate my skin that much more.â€ *India-Jewel Jackson, GlamBlush*

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*Take your vitamins*

â€œThe winter months can be brutal on the face. The key to super-soft and well-moisturized skin is a dime-size amount of vitamin E oil on your face under your moisturizer every night. Yes, you will feel a little greasy, but you are going to sleep, so you wonâ€™t notice for long. And trust me, your face will thank you in the morning.â€ *Julia Coney, All About the Pretty*

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*Oil up*

â€œTo repair and revitalize skin, apply a few teaspoons of 100 percent extra-virgin olive oil onto the dry, freshly cleansed face and neck in a circular motion before your night cream. (Just avoid the eye area.) Or, to help boost immune systems, take two teaspoons of it daily, after a meal. (You can add sugar for flavor if itâ€™s too hard to handle.)â€ *Sasha Manuel, Beauty Bento Box*

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*Rethink your pantry staples*

â€œOnce a week I give my whole body a nourishing scrub. I mix one cup of granulated white sugar with enough vitamin E oil to make a thick paste. I take it with me as I head to the tub and scrub it in circular motions all over my body. This simple-to-use scrub helps rid my skin of dead cells while taking in the nourishment of the vitamin E oil. Simple and sweet!â€ *Teri Cosenzi, Beautiful Makeup Search*

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*Knock a few years offâ€”without dipping into your 401(k)*

â€œThereâ€™s a ton of great â€˜plastic surgeryâ€™ at-home products that give you surgerylike results but for a tiny fraction of the time and money youâ€™d need for surgery. One of my favorites is the Kiehlâ€™s Over-Night Biological Peel, which is said to be as effective as a 10 percent glycolic acid peel. Itâ€™s $42â€”definitely less expensive than a peel (let alone the several â€˜peelsâ€™ one bottle can deliver), and all you have to do is smooth it on and get into bed.â€ *Michelle Madhok, SheFinds*


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## speedy (Nov 30, 2008)

Those are great ideas, thanks for posting.


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## mariascreek (Nov 30, 2008)

thanks a lot! I'll be doing the brown sugar body scrub, sounds great!


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## magosienne (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks Nuri !!


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## magneticheart (Nov 30, 2008)

Thanks for posting


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## Roxie (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks for posting! These are great ideas!


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## Bec688 (Dec 1, 2008)

Nice ideas



I make my own body scrubs at home, similar to some of those recipes.


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## aney (Dec 7, 2008)

These are great! Thanks!


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## topazrules (Dec 16, 2008)

I hate to be a party pooper but I think letting a shower run for 20 minutes just to create a lot of steam is environmenally irresonsible.


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## Midnight Blue (Mar 27, 2009)

I don't think it is if it's for health and well-being. I had to do that often while growing up. Chronic bronchitis and respiratory problems. There were times steaming up the bathroom was the only thing that helped me breathe.

Anyway, GREAT tips. I love these and want to try some of them. *making a note to get out my vitamin E oil*

Thanks for posting these!


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## pinksugar (Mar 27, 2009)

hmm. Def some interesting ideas here, I must have missed this thread before!

I have to agree with Topaz though, it IS irresponsible. Australia is in the midst of a drought - to the point where people can't wash their cars with a hose, and can only water their gardens on certain days.

Ecologically, we should all be cutting down our water usage. While I agree that steam is great to help those with respiratory problems, there are small, plug-in units that can be used for bedrooms and such. I am having the hugest mental blank on what they're called!


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## Midnight Blue (Mar 27, 2009)

Vaporizers and humidifiers.





When I was gasping and choking, they weren't always enough. We steamed up the bathroom so much one night, it looked cloudy in there. It wasn't an every day occurrence, thank goodness, but I don't see the problem every now and then. Of course, this was back in the 70s (showing my age) and medicine has come a long way since then.


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## Doya G (Apr 26, 2009)

Thanks for the share..

just reading it made me feel like heaven..

would surely try out some of this good stuff..


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## Miss World (May 5, 2009)

This is a fantastic list of tricks! thank you so much for posting it!


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## Orangeeyecrayon (May 5, 2009)

i really want to try a coupe of these, i allready do the coconut oil, but i buy a jar of it.

coconuts are not all to common in NY


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## sassy_chic (May 5, 2009)

wow! those tips are really helpful. thanks!

btw, you can soak your hair in coconut milk instead of the oil. i think the milk has more nourishment. =)


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## davedexter (May 15, 2009)

Great ideas of Home Spa Tricks.......nice post.

I would like to use some bath products I bought last week with this home spa trick


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## fawp (May 15, 2009)

There's some great recipes in here. I definately want to try that brown sugar scrub.


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## GinaL (May 25, 2009)

Great ideas


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## ZsaZsaZsu (May 26, 2009)

Doesn't coconut oils make your hair greasy?


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## reesesilverstar (May 26, 2009)

Originally Posted by *ZsaZsaZsu* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Doesn't coconut oils make your hair greasy? I don't think so, but it would depend on the type of hair you have. I use it as part of a leave in conditioner for my locs and it pretty much gets sucked in. Other ppl use it as a hot oil/deep conditioner and rinse it out so their hair doesn't feel greasy after.


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## Eunice (Jun 19, 2009)

Originally Posted by *ZsaZsaZsu* /img/forum/go_quote.gif Doesn't coconut oils make your hair greasy? For me, it would...
I wish I could wash my hair every other day, but it turns into an oil factory if it goes unwashed for +24 hours.

Boohoo!


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## bCreative (Jun 22, 2009)

I tried that body scrub one and my body does feel soft but it was quite messy!! I think I'll leave out the oatmeal next time.


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